During Hurricane Sandy, when the North Shore of Long Island was plunged into darkness, Witman, who is director of education at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, had a vision: the Temple would serve as a shelter, office building and day care for families who were without power.

“I have to say, ‘We,’” he said, remembering. “It was the Temple Beth-El community. Everyone came together.”

He began by speaking with clergy and assessing the community’s needs. Then he organized food and clothing drives, and supervised the youth group kids in making a concerted effort to reach every elderly congregant.

Because of the lack of power and phone service, his tech-savvy was invaluable. “Everyone went to him,” said Jodi Smith, coordinator of communications and administration for the Temple. “He’s a guru.”

“People were without power for 11, 12 days,” recalled another staffer. “For at least a week, he had the whole building utilized. We called it, ‘Sandy-Palooza.’ He did this with the rabbis’ blessings. We all did what we could but he got everyone organized.”

Even when not in crisis mode, Witman is a natural leader, according to his co-workers.

Passionate about bringing experiential learning to the K-12 Hebrew School, he introduced Camp TBE two years ago with help from UJA-Federation of New York. TBE turns Hebrew school into a “summer camp” for the last four weeks of the year. Kids get to choose how to experience their “Jewish selves” — even if that means playing basketball using the Hebrew words for “pass” and “shoot.”

School of rock: As a boy, Witman dreamed of being a rock star. A drummer who studied music as well as Judaic studies at the University of Hartford, he manages to unite his interests in his current job. He plays in a band, “Rabbi and the Popes,” and has introduced a program called “Shul of Rock” so kids can play the drums during Hebrew school services.

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